Taste of spring invades US to close out February with wild temperature swings for millions
The welcome temperature change began in the West, where arctic air has been replaced by milder air streaming in from the North Pacific Ocean. Above-average temperatures have also developed across the central and eastern U.S., with many locations warming to 10-20 degrees higher than average.
Major warmup thaws out America
Temperatures that had been in single digits or even below zero are now being replaced with highs in the 50s and 60s.
We’re quickly approaching the start of meteorological spring, and right on cue, forecasters are tracking a major pattern change that will usher in warmer temperatures across the U.S. throughout much of this week.
And let’s face it – we deserve a break from the bitter cold.
The nation has been blasted by rounds of frigid arctic air, which has plummeted temperatures to near-freezing as far south as Florida and the Gulf Coast. Winter storms have also brought snow to places that don’t usually see the flakes fly.
Snow blankets Virginia Beach shores
Drone video shows the snowy scene in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Feb. 19, 2025 during a major winter storm.
Last week, for example, snow coated the sand and palm trees in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In January, a Blizzard Warning was issued for the first time ever along the Gulf Coast.
The welcome temperature change began in the West, where arctic air has been replaced by milder air streaming in from the North Pacific Ocean. Above-average temperatures have also developed across the central and eastern U.S., with many locations warming to 10-20 degrees higher than average.
That's quite the difference from last week when high temperatures were running 30-50 degrees below average.
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Bismarck, North Dakota, is just one of many parts of the nation that will notice the difference as temperatures warm up this week.
The low temperature was 39 degrees below zero on Feb. 18. On Tuesday, Bismarck reached 47 degrees during the day – an 86-degree temperature swing.
HOW THE SPRING PREDICTABILITY BARRIER IMPACTS LA NINA, EL NINO FORECASTS
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Minneapolis, too, will notice the difference. Last Tuesday, Minneapolis recorded a morning low temperature of 15 degrees below zero and is expected to see a high temperature of a "balmy" 51 degrees on Tuesday. That’s a 66-degree change in temperature in a week.
But the warm weather, while pleasant, comes with some danger.
Watch: Daffodils grow in western North Carolina months after Helene
A video shared from western North Carolina shows daffodil's starting to grow as warmer temperatures begin to arrive months after the region was devastated by Hurricane Helene.
The Minneapolis Department of Natural Resources said anyone who still has a fish house on the ice should start planning to remove it as warm weather arrives. Officials said the shelter removal deadline for inland waters in the southern two-thirds of the state is 11:59 p.m. local time on March 3. The deadline for inland lakes in the northern portions of the state is 11:59 p.m. local time on March 17.
"Anglers always should keep in mind that ice conditions vary widely, that ice is never 100% safe, and that they should check the ice thickness themselves," officials said in a statement.
(FOX Weather)
This week, the FOX Forecast Center said temperatures will climb back into the 70s in the southern Plains and Southeast, while the central Plains and mid-South will reach the 60s.
The northern Plains, Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, interior Northeast and New England will rise into the 40s to near 50 degrees this week.
(FOX Weather)
And for the millions of people along the Interstate 95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the FOX Forecast Center expects comfortable temperatures ranging from the 50s to the lower and mid-60s for most of the week.